Raving Brands President Stephen M. LaMastra to speak at KSU’s Coles College of Business
Kennesaw‚ Ga. (March 30‚ 2007) – Stephen M. LaMastra‚ president and chief…
Georgia (Mar 30, 2007) — Raving Brands President Stephen M. LaMastra to speak at KSU’s Coles College of Business
Terri Thornton
Abstract
Director of University Relations
Frances Weyand Harrison
770−423−6203
fharris4@kennesaw.edu
Contact/Writer: Terri Thornton‚ 404−932−4347‚ territhornton@mindspring.com
Kennesaw‚ Ga. (March 30‚ 2007) – Stephen M. LaMastra‚ president and chief operating
officer of Raving Brands‚ and a well−known expert in the retail and restaurant industry‚
will speak at the Coles College of Business at Kennesaw State University April 12.
LaMastra will discuss the philosophy and the growth strategy of the rapidly expanding
restaurant chain.
The address is part of the Tetley Distinguished Leader Lecture Series. LaMastra’s
speech will take place Thursday‚ April 12‚ at 5 p.m. in Room 151 of the Burruss Building.
Raving Brands was formed in 2000 by Martin Sprock‚ when he opened his second franchise
concept‚ Moe’s Southwest Grill. Today Raving Brands is home to nine unique concepts‚
including Moe’s Southwest Grill‚ Planet Smoothie/Planet Smoothie Cafe‚ PJ’s Coffee
of New Orleans‚ Monkey Joe’s‚ The Flying Biscuit Cafe‚ Mama Fu’s Asian House‚ Doc
Green’s Gourmet Salads and Grill‚ Shane’s Rib Shack and Boneheads Grill Fish and Piri
Piri Chicken. The company projects that by 2009‚ there will be a combined 1‚000 Raving
Brands concepts across the country.
LaMastra joined Raving Brands in 2005 to oversee the day−to−day operations‚ including
the development of strategic plans for marketing‚ operations‚ real estate and sales
for each of the brands. Under his leadership‚ Raving Brands has emerged as a focused‚
disciplined enterprise and recently announced plans to venture overseas.
Among his accomplishments has been to expand‚ upgrade and restructure the management
team‚ bring in a major financial partner for Moe’s Southwest Grill and acquire a breakfast
concept (The Flying Biscuit Cafe).
Before joining Raving Brands‚ LaMastra served as a senior executive at Washington‚
D.C.−based Ritz Camera Centers‚ where he oversaw much of the corporate side of the
company including the areas of real estate‚ legal affairs‚ human resources‚ strategic
planning and acquisitions. Prior to that‚ he served as chief corporate officer for
Wolf Camera‚ Inc.‚ which was acquired by Ritz Camera in 2001.
The Tetley Distinguished Leader Lecture Series brings top business leaders to campus
to interact with students and faculty members. The lecture is open to the public‚
but visitors are advised to arrive early‚ as space is limited. For more information‚
call the dean’s office at 770−423−6425.
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About Kennesaw State University
Kennesaw State University is a comprehensive‚ residential institution with a growing
student population approaching 20‚000 from 132 countries. The third−largest university
in Georgia‚ Kennesaw State offers more than 60 graduate and undergraduate degrees‚
including a new doctorate in education.
About Raving Brands
Raving Brands is a multi−concept franchise portfolio company with nine unique concepts
including Moe’s Southwest Grill‚ Shane’s Rib Shack and Planet Smoothie. Raving Brands
ranked #1 in Fast Casual magazine’s 2005 “Top 100 Movers and Shakers‚” with its flagship
concept Moe's Southwest Grill‚ ranking #6. Moe’s is also a 2005 Inc. magazine Top
25 Company and was a Nation’s Restaurant News’ 2004 Hot Concepts! award winner. Collectively‚
Raving Brands expects to operate more than 1‚000 locations of its concepts nationwide
by 2009.
MORE NEWS…
A leader in innovative teaching and learning, Kennesaw State University offers more than 150 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees to its approximately 41,000 students. With 11 colleges on two metro Atlanta campuses, Kennesaw State is a member of the University System of Georgia and the third-largest university in the state. The university’s vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the region and from 92 countries across the globe. Kennesaw State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 6 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status, and one of the 50 largest public institutions in the country. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.
